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Back in December I introduced a Node.js script that automates SPFx environment setup—pick a version or an alias like SPO or SP2019, and it works out the right Node.js, Yeoman, generator, and task runner versions by querying the npm registry directly instead of relying on a hardcoded matrix (older releases keep a small fallback table, more on that below).

Then I used it every day on real client work, which turned out to be the best possible test suite. What happens when a tool you’re proud of meets real life? It broke in ways I didn’t anticipate, I rebuilt parts I thought were already solid, and it picked up a handful of features I only discovered I needed once I was living in it.

I’m excited to announce I’ll be speaking at The North American Collaboration Summit (NACS) 2026! This is one of the largest Microsoft 365 and collaboration community conferences in North America, and I’d love to see you there.

I’m excited to announce I’ll be speaking at M365 Twin Cities! This free community conference brings together a full day of Microsoft 365 and Power Platform content, and I’d love to see you there.

I’m thrilled to announce that on January 5, 2026, I joined Solution Foundry as a Senior Technology Advisor. While I’m publishing this a bit later than planned, I wanted to share this expanded role that represents an exciting opportunity to combine strategic planning, hands-on development, and team training in ways that build on my nearly two decades of SharePoint and Microsoft 365 experience.

If you’ve been working with SharePoint Framework (SPFx) for any length of time, you know the drill: look up the Node.js version compatibility, install the right LTS version, manually install Yeoman, the SPFx generator, and the correct task runner (Gulp or Heft, depending on the version). For modern SPFx versions, this might take 5 minutes if you know what you’re doing. For older versions or platform-specific deployments like SharePoint 2019 or Subscription Edition? Much longer.

What if I told you there’s a way to do all of this in under a minute, completely automated, for any SPFx version—past, present, or future?

Updated for SPFx v1.21.1

With the release of SPFx v1.22.0, Microsoft has moved the default build toolchain from Gulp to Heft. This article provides a quick start guide to setting up a new SPFx development environment using Heft as the toolchain. If you are new to SPFx or just want to set up a new environment, this guide will walk you through the necessary steps.